If done correctly, smoking bratwurst slowly keeps all the juicy goodness — which is the whole point of simmering brats before or after grilling in other recipes — and adds a delicious smokey tang.

While not necessary, a digital smoker such as a Masterbuilt can be invaluable when you’re first getting started with smoking brats, as it gives you much finer control over temperature levels than traditional smokers.

How to Smoke Bratwurst Steps

Actually smoking bratwurst is simple and straightforward.

Get your smoking going and aim for about 200F as far as the temperature. Some people cook at up to 250F but 200F to 225F generally works best and makes it easier to avoid overcooking your brats.

A minority of bratwurst smoking fans recommend starting for an hour at a much lower temperature of 100F for an hour, then 125F, then 150F as they slowly step up the heat to get the brats to the optimal internal temperature of 155F to 160F.

If you do start at temperatures well below 200F and are using fresh, uncured brats, be aware that most food safety recommendations for uncured meats warn to not cook at temperatures below 200F.

It’s up to you but we’ve had more success simply setting it at 200F and letting the smoker do the rest.

Use tongs when loading the bratwurst into your smoker and take care to not puncture or tear the casings.

If you use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature, always use the same bratwurst when checking.

Puncturing it will let the juices escape so don’t inflict that terrible fate on more than one poor soldier when smoking bratwurst.

Smoke your brats for about 2 hours to 2.5 hours and you’ll be good to go.

Like many things bratwurst-related, there’s no one right or wrong way to cook a brat so if you’re curious about smoking brats, definitely give it a whirl.